Last 2 names of 6 US soldiers who died in Kuwait attack identified by
the Pentagon
[March 05, 2026]
By HANNAH FINGERHUT, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and REBECCA BOONE
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The last two names of the six U.S. soldiers
killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait were released
Wednesday by the Pentagon, and they are from California and Iowa.
The soldiers identified Wednesday were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert
Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, and Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola,
Iowa.
The six members of the Army Reserve, who worked in logistics and kept
troops supplied with food and equipment, died Sunday when a drone hit a
command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, one day after the U.S. and
Israel launched its military campaign against Iran. Iran responded by
launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab
states that host U.S. armed forces.
The Pentagon said Marzan was at the scene when a drone strike hit the
command center and is “believed to be the individual who perished at the
scene,” according to the statement. A medical examiner will confirm
identification, the Pentagon said.
Public records appeared to show Marzan living in Virginia but with
family in the Sacramento area. Family members couldn't immediately be
reached or declined to comment.
The Pentagon listed O’Brien’s hometown as Indianola, a suburb of Des
Moines. A person answering the door at a home address in Waukee, another
suburb of Des Moines, did not comment, saying the family would release a
statement.
The four soldiers previously identified by the Pentagon were: Sgt.
Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa,; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor,
39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter
Haven, Florida; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue,
Nebraska.
All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food,
fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.
“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it
is,” President Donald Trump said of the deaths. Trump will attend the
dignified transfers of the soldiers when they arrive in the U.S., the
White House said Wednesday. The ritual honors service members killed in
action.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds released a statement Wednesday offering prayers
and condolences for the families of the Iowa residents killed.
“Our hearts are broken by the deaths of Major Jeffrey O’Brien and
Sergeant Declan Coady, two brave Iowa soldiers who gave the ultimate
sacrifice to secure freedom and peace,” Reynolds said.
Nearly 15 years of service
O’Brien was promoted to major in August 2024, according to a Facebook
post, which shows him alongside two young children. He served in the
Army Reserve for nearly 15 years, according to his LinkedIn.
The signal officer and information systems engineer in the Army Reserve
was a manager of defensive cyber operations at an Iowa-based
cybersecurity company, according to his LinkedIn. He had a career
spanning two decades in information and cybersecurity.
O’Brien is survived by a wife and children, according to his aunt, Mary
Melchert, who posted on Facebook. Melchert said O’Brien “was the
sweetest blue-eyed, blonde farm kid you’d ever know. He is so missed
already.”
Loving husband and father
Marzan's sister described him on Facebook as a “strong leader” and
loving husband, father and brother.
“My baby brother, you are loved and I will hold onto all our memories
and cherish them always in my heart,” Elizabeth Marzan wrote.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and acting Gov. Eleni Kounalakis offered
condolences to Robert Marzan's wife and family in a statement Wednesday,
saying flags at the state Capitol will remain at half-staff in his
honor.
They described him as “a courageous Californian whose service to our
nation was marked by honor and distinction.”
A mother of 2 who loved gardening
Amor was just days away from returning to her husband and children.
“She was almost home,” her husband, Joey Amor, said Tuesday. “You don’t
go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one
of the first — it hurts.”
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Amor was an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from the peppers
and tomatoes she grew with her son, a high school senior. She
enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
A week before the drone attack, Amor was moved off-base to a
shipping container-style building that had no defenses, her husband
said.
“They were in fear that the base they were on was going to get
attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separate
places,” he said.
‘He loved being a soldier’
Coady had been checking in with his family from Kuwait every hour or
two after the U.S. and Israel launched their military campaign
against Iran, even as Iran launched retaliatory strikes.
When he didn’t respond to messages Sunday, “most of us started to
wonder,” Coady’s father, Andrew, told The Associated Press. “Your
gut starts to get a feeling.”
Coady recently told his father he had been recommended for a
promotion from specialist to sergeant, a rank he received
posthumously.
He was among the youngest people in his class, trained to
troubleshoot military computer systems, but he impressed his
instructors, Andrew Coady said Tuesday.
“He trained hard, he worked hard, his physical fitness was important
to him. He loved being a soldier,” Coady said. “He was also one of
the most kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do
anything and everything for anyone.”
Declan Coady, an Eagle Scout, was studying cybersecurity at Drake
University in Des Moines, and he wanted to become an officer.
“I still don’t fully think it’s real,” his sister Keira Coady said.
“I just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to
do when he came back."
A calling to serve his country
Khork was very patriotic and wanted to serve in the military from
childhood, his family said in a statement Tuesday.
He enlisted in the Army Reserve and joined Florida Southern
College’s ROTC program.
“That commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected
the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was,”
his mother, Donna Burhans; father, James Khork; and stepmother,
Stacey Khork; said in a statement.
Khork, who loved history, had a degree in political science.
His family described him as “the life of the party, known for his
infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who
served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him.”
Abbas Jaffer posted Monday on Facebook about his friend of 16 years.
“My best friend, best man, and brother gave his life defending our
country overseas,” Jaffer said.
A dedicated instructor and mentor
Tietjens, who came from a military family, previously served
alongside his father in Kuwait. When he returned home in February
2010, he reunited with his overjoyed wife in a local church’s gym.
Tietjens’ cousin Kaylyn Golike asked for prayers, especially for
Tietjens’ 12-year-old son, wife and parents, as they navigate
“unimaginable loss.”
“We lost a brave soldier this weekend and many hearts are broken,”
Golike wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
Tietjens earned a black belt in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo
and was “an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership
to others,” the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance said on Facebook.
Army Staff Sgt. Jeff Coleman said Tietjens was his mentor.
"You could call him day or night,” Coleman told KETV. “He always
took the time, you know, he made you feel important.”
___
Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho, and Toropin from Washington.
Associated Press reporters Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota;
Josh Funk and Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Jeff Martin in
Atlanta; David Fischer in Miami; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and Tran
Nguyen in Sacramento, California, contributed.
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